Tesla unveils a New Roadster Generation!
Washington, Oct 15 (EFE).-
Tesla unveiled a new generation of its Roadster electric sports car on Thursday, featuring thrusters developed using SpaceX technology that allow it to lift off the ground and perform aerial maneuvers, as well as accelerate from zero to nearly 100 kph (62 mph) in less than a second.
The presentation took place at SpaceX’s rocket testing facility in McGregor, Texas, where the United States automaker demonstrated several of the car’s capabilities. The project has faced nearly nine years of delays.
In one demonstration, the Roadster climbed a curved ramp until it was upside down, launched into the air, performed a flip and landed in a controlled manner using its thrusters.
“Well, it worked,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk said after the maneuver.
The system, developed jointly by engineers from Tesla and SpaceX, uses compressed air stored at extremely high pressure rather than conventional rocket fuel.
Tesla announced three Roadster versions: Performance, Thrust and Rocket.
The two-seat Performance model will accelerate from zero to nearly 100 kph in less than 1.6 seconds and use an underbody suction system to increase grip on the road.
The Thrust version will feature rear thrusters that cut acceleration time to less than 0.9 seconds, while the single-seat Rocket model will be able to lift off and maneuver in the air, as well as accelerate to nearly 100 kph in less than 0.59 seconds, according to specifications announced by Tesla.
The company also said the sports car will be capable of exceeding 370 kph (230 mph) and have a range of more than 480 kilometers (300 miles).
Musk said the Roadster would be the only Tesla designed for long-term human driving, as the company focuses its efforts on autonomous vehicles and robotics.
The entrepreneur acknowledged that the sports car was not necessarily “optimized for safety,” raising questions about whether it would be approved for use on public roads.
Tesla expects to begin production in 2028, although it has not yet announced final prices.
The second-generation Roadster was initially unveiled in 2017, with a promise that it would go on sale in 2020 for about $200,000.
Since then, the project has been repeatedly delayed as Tesla prioritized other vehicles, including the Model Y and Cybertruck, and later its autonomous-driving and humanoid robot programs. EFE
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